A Nigerian drill rapper, Lekan Akinsoji, a resident of Forest Gate, East London, has been found guilty of the 2017 murder of a 21-year-old rival, Ahmed Deen-Jah.
Akinsoji and his accomplice, Sundjata Keita, were sentenced after they were convicted at the Old Bailey on Thursday.
Both men, aged 27, were given life imprisonment for fatally stabbing Deen-Jah while wearing balaclavas.
Ten days before the killing, Akinsoji reportedly appeared in a music video titled Armed and Ready, boasting about evading arrest and saying, “No face, no case, no evvy (evidence).”
The court heard that Deen-Jah was attacked after buying a lighter from an off-licence near Custom House Station on April 2, 2017.
Two men dressed in all-black clothing, ski masks and gloves allegedly exited a stolen black Mercedes and chased him into a store, BJ Wines.
During a struggle, he was stabbed in the heart before the attackers fled.
Prosecutors alleged that Akinsoji was the stabber, while Keita acted as the second assailant. Both were reportedly captured on CCTV.
Deen-Jah was pronounced dead at the scene, just 130 metres from his home.
Prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC told jurors, “This killing was not a spontaneous act of violence, but an attack planned against a background of street violence between two East London gangs.”
He added that the pair had been on a “ride-out”, a mission to invade rival territory in search of enemies to attack.
Deen-Jah was identified as a member of the Custom House gang, while Akinsoji admitted affiliation with the Woodgrange gang. Keita, however, denied any gang association.
During his testimony, Akinsoji denied involvement in the crime, but the jury found both him and his co-defendant guilty of murder by a majority verdict of 10 to 2.
They were remanded in custody by Judge Anthony Leonard KC, until sentencing on October 24.
Cr: punching.com
